1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of converting an area data into a path data for a large scale integrated circuit design assisting apparatus employing a computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With respect to a demand for large scale integrated circuits (LSIs) in the field of semiconductor, a greater variety of LSIs is required although the number of each type does not have to be great. For this reason, many kinds of software for automatizing design of LSIs have been developed.
Moreover, a period for designing a new type has sometimes been decreased by changing a part of an LSI which has already been designed.
In changing an LSI which has already been designed, a logic and a layout rule have to be re-verified after the change. A logic simulation for verifying a logic is frequently performed by a computer with the above-described program for design automatization. In this case, with respect to some kinds of input data, e.g. data representing electric connection among devices, there are cases when the data have to be not area data but path data. Moreover, in a program for compressing a pattern (hereinafter referred to as compaction), a part of input data are sometimes limited to path data.
Thus, in trying to decrease a period for design by changing area data of an LSI which has already been designed, if area data are used, the verification and compaction cannot be automatized. Consequently, the number of processes ironically increases.